It’s Time to Admit HCFCD is Broken

4/22/26 – Today was the last straw. I have concluded that Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) is broken.

I’ve been writing for several days about Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) projects supposedly “under construction” that aren’t. Some people might call that:

  • Lying
  • The left hand doesn’t know what the right is doing
  • Poor word-smithing or
  • Fuzzy communication designed to create the illusion of progress.

But I suspect we all can agree that it’s certainly misleading and unpardonable from a public agency.

The TC Jester East Stormwater Detention Basin 1-B makes an excellent example.

TC Jester East Basin 1-B Still Not in Construction

The TC Jester East Basin received “authorization to use government funds” on 10/30/25 – six months ago.

The construction schedule they published on 12/5/26 originally said construction would start in Q2 2026 and finish in Q4 2028 – almost two years after the Texas General Land Office deadline of 2/28/2027.

After discussions with Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey PE, HCFCD changed the finish date on the HCFCD website to Q2 2027.

But when Dr. Tina Petersen, HCFCD’s executive director, testified before Commissioners Court on 4/16/2026 to explain how she would beat the deadline, she said that TC Jester was “in construction.” So, I went to check on 4/19/26. It was not. I saw only a construction trailer onsite. No excavators, bulldozers, dump trucks, clearing or dirt moving. Just virgin forest.

So, I posted about the apparent contradiction on 4/20/26. The very next day, I received an email from HCFCD that seemed to contradict me.

  • The headline trumpeted: “Construction of Compartment 1B of the T.C. Jester East Stormwater Detention Basin is Underway!”
  • Copy said, “Construction crews are accessing the site at Cypresswood Drive and T.C. Jester Boulevard. Residents are urged to respect all warning signs.”
  • The image showed an excavator digging dirt with a construction worker in the pit.
  • Further, the email said that the site was receiving “funding up to $25.9 million through the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery Program (CDBG-DR).” However, HCFCD’s website says the amount is $20.8 million. And Petersen’s presentation to commissioners on 4/19/26 said $23.3+ million.

But it gets even better. Toward the bottom of the email, the copy says, “Anticipated Schedule: Construction Start Q1 2026.” In other words…

HCFCD anticipates starting in the past.

Screen capture from email received 4/21/26

Excited, I drove to the job site again to photograph the traffic cones, flag men, construction equipment, and bustling bulldozers supposedly onsite. Was I surprised!

Visit to Job Site Shows Construction Still Not Started

A few pickup trucks were parked outside the construction trailer. That’s it.

TC Jester East Basin 1B will wrap around this pre-existing basin where a construction trailer and a few pickups were parked.

See photos from the rest of the visit below. I took all of these on 4/22/26.

Looking E across TC Jester in foreground at treed area where basin will go.
Looking E along Cypresswood Drive. No construction equipment or other entrances in sight.
Looking at intersection of Cypresswood (l) and TC Jester (r) where email warned of equipment accessing the site.
Looking W along Cypress Creek back toward TC Jester. No clearing. No construction equipment.

If HCFCD hopes they can fool commissioners into believing that they are farther along on this project than they actually are, it’s backfiring. At this point, there probably isn’t enough time to build this project before its 2/28/27 deadline. Even HCFCD’s own construction completion date of Q2 2027 admits that.

Petersen must be banking on deadline extensions that may not come.

Smoke Screen Designed to Delay “Day of Reckoning”?

Commissioners have already approved several construction contracts associated with this funding. And HCFCD has issued multiple press releases saying those projects are in construction. But are they really?

Or, are the announcements a smokescreen for Petersen to buy more time and postpone her “Day of Reckoning,” as Rodney Ellis called it in the 4/16/26 Commissioners Court Meeting?

Such announcements mislead and could cost Harris County taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding.

If this were private-sector financial communication, investors would howl to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, FDIC, Federal Reserve and law enforcement.

Within the context of pressure to get these projects moving quickly or face the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars, HCFCD put out false information that masks the potential risk. Intentionally or not.

On April 16, County Judge Lina Hidalgo said to Petersen, “I just lost my confidence in you.”

So have I. It’s time for new leaders at HCFCD who can get the District moving again.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/22/26

3158 Days since Hurricane Harvey

The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.

HCFCD Has Taken 4 Years to Spend 4% of HUD CDBG-DR Funds

4/21/26 – Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has taken more than 4 years to spend about 4% of the $322 million that HUD allocated to HCFCD for Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR). That figure is carved out of a larger total ($868 million) that also includes CDBG Mitigation funds.

Former Texas General Land Office (GLO) Commissioner George P. Bush announced his intention to allocate $750 million of US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds to Harris County on 5/26/21. HUD approved that amount on 3/18/22. Subsequently, it increased when the GLO also re-allocated unused funds from storms before Harvey to Harris County.

Here’s a high-level breakdown as of today.

Source: Texas General Land Office. 4/21/26.

HCFCD has spent only 3.59% of the CDBG-DR project funds to date. That group has the tightest deadline, just 313 days away and involves roughly a third of a billion dollars.

Why Such a Low Percentage So Late In the Game?

To be fair, HCFCD had a lot of dominos to align:

  • A method of distribution (how and where the money would be spent)
  • Feasibility, preliminary-engineering, and final design studies
  • Cost estimates
  • Bids
  • Property acquisition (for some projects)
  • Obtaining GLO and HUD approval for all of the above.

But still…

Unnecessarily Burdensome Processes, Changing Horses in Midstream

Harris County made it more difficult than necessary with its own equity prioritization framework, which changed several times.

Judge Hidalgo and Commissioners Ellis and Garcia also forced out the management team that developed and sold the 2018 flood bond. Their replacement, Dr. Tina Petersen, had a long, steep learning curve and big shoes to fill. She also lost many key employees. That disrupted business continuity and cost institutional knowledge.

Since she took office, spending has gone down consistently as the pace of work slowed, partly as a consequence of a management style she calls “being more intentional.”

Self-Inflicted Wound

Having spent four years bickering about equity, the county now has just 10 months left to actually build all the jobs in order to beat a firm 2/28/27 deadline and avoid losing potentially ALL of the CDBG-DR funds.

According to a document submitted to commissioners court on 4/16/26 by Petersen and aerial photographs that I have taken, it appears that contractors are actually only turning dirt on one of 11 CDBG-DR projects.

Arbor Oaks Construction on White Oak Bayou. Project started clearing last September.

Compare that with the TC Jester Basin project shown below. Both photos were taken on 4/19/2026.

TC Jester East basin
TC Jester East Basin will go in the big treed area in the center. “Construction” was announced last December 5.

Past Experience a Logistical Red Flag

If history is any indication, the vast majority of the CDBG-DR projects will take longer than 10 months to build. Ten of the 11 are large detention basins that typically take one to two years to build. The Mercer Basin on Cypress Creek, finished just last week, took three years. And TC Jester, above, is 55% larger.

If Petersen can pull the projects off before the buzzer sounds, she deserves that $90,000 raise she got last year. If not, she won’t be the only one with egg on her face.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/21/26

3157 Days since Hurricane Harvey

The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.

Mercer Basin Delays Illustrate Risk To Eleven Projects with HUD Funding

4/20/2026 – On April 10, 2026, the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) announced that it finally completed its Mercer Stormwater Detention Basin – two years after the originally scheduled completion date. The one-year construction project turned into three years before it was over.

Mercer’s delays underscore the risk associated with eleven similar projects with a firm completion deadline just 314 days away – 2/28/2027. They involve a third of a billion dollars in US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) administered by the Texas General Land Office (GLO).

Harris County Commissioners have tried to understand whether the projects could miss the deadline and jeopardize the funding. But HCFCD’s executive director, Dr. Tina Petersen, has not supplied them with sufficiently detailed information to assess the risk. Her high-level reports mask logistical red flags with vague generalities.

For example, she says:

  • The TC Jester East Basin project is “in construction.” But aerial photos show that no actual construction equipment is onsite, only a construction trailer. Clearing has not yet even begun.
  • She says the Isom Street Basin on Halls Bayou is “out for bids.” But she does not address how her department will meet the same deadline, ten months away when such projects usually require one to two years.

As a consequence, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo says she has “lost confidence” in Petersen. And Commissioners Court unanimously adopted a resolution demanding specifics about how HCFCD will complete all CDBG projects.

So, let’s look at some specifics.

Mercer Basin Had Multiple Delays

The Mercer Basin sits between Cypress Creek and FM1960 immediately east of the Hardy Tollroad. It features two dry-bottom compartments that provide an estimated 512 acre-feet of stormwater storage. It had multiple delays totaling two years, but is now finished. See the photos below taken April 19, 2026

Looking west along FM1969 (l) at southern compartment of Mercer Basin, with second basin in upper right.
Looking NW at northern compartment and Cypress Creek. Hardy Tollroad cuts through upper part of frame.
Spillway lets water overflowing from Cypress Creek into basin.
A culvert connects the northern and southern basins so that floodwater from the creek can use both for storage.

HCFCD began the project in 2022. Construction was to have begun in Spring 2023 on an expedited basis and should have finished by April 2024. But it actually finished in April 2026. See the timetable below.

Mercer basin timetable
From Rodney Ellis presentation to community on June 29, 2022.

In July 2024, I went to photograph the completed basin and discovered contractors had not yet started digging. They were still clearing the land. So, I decided to return regularly.

Playing Beat the Clock for Other Projects

That experience doesn’t bode well for 11 other CDBG-DR projects that HCFCD now has in development with a firm expiration date on funding – February 28, 2027 – just ten months away. To be more precise, there are only…

314 days left on the shot clock!

Now you know why Harris County Commissioners and the County Judge put a full court press on HCFCD Executive Director Dr. Tina Petersen in their 4/16/26 Commissioners Court meeting.

Petersen presented a vague, high-level status report. For instance, it said the TC Jester Stormwater Detention Basin project was “in construction,” but not what percentage of construction was complete. When I photographed it on 4/19/26, I saw no construction equipment – only a construction trailer. Not one tree had been cleared yet. And that basin is much larger than the Mercer Basin which took three years to build. See below.

Looking E across TC Jester at large forested area where new basin will wrap around small existing basin (middle right)

HCFCD announced that the TC Jester project would start construction “soon” back on December 5, 2025 – four and a half months ago. Now the deadline is just 10 months away. And the time-critical basin is 55% larger than the two Mercer Basins combined that took 3 years to build.

The Isom Street Project also uses CDBG-DR funds. It involves clearing an area near Halls Bayou adjacent to two existing detention basins, creating a new detention basin, and then connecting all three.

Isom Street Project on Halls Bayou. Existing basins on the left and right will connect with new one in the treed area.

The Isom Project has the same 2/28/27 deadline, but it is even less far along than TC Jester. Petersen told Commissioners Court it was “in bidding.”

At this point, it’s not clear how HCFCD will meet the deadline. And county commissioners need that clarity.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/20/2026

3156 Days since Hurricane Harvey

The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.

Editorial: A Flood of Emotions About Flood Control, Including Anger

4/18/2026 – I have written thousands of articles about drainage, flooding, governance, and infrastructure projects since Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Reporting on these topics triggered a flood of emotions: anxiety, frustration, exasperation, enlightenment, disappointment, empathy, sadness and hope. After writing yesterday’s post about the most recent Harris County commissioners court meeting, I added “anger” to that list.  

Potential Loss of Funding Due to Needless Delays

As discussed in yesterday’s post and a Houston Chronicle article, Harris County is poised to lose hundreds of millions of dollars intended for flood-prevention projects all across the county because of looming deadlines that Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) likely won’t be able to meet. Missing those deadlines could mean an unprecedented failure for HCFCD, the County Judge, Commissioners, and Harris County residents.

HCFCD Exec, Director, Dr. Tina Petersen fielded angry questions from Commissioners and the County Judge on 4/16/2026.

Why am I angry? During numerous conversations with knowledgeable sources on Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) and Flood Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funding, I learned of project delays. Those delays jeopardize deadlines that were identified with these projects more than TWO YEARS AGO. 

For example, it took HCFCD four years just to complete a list of DR projects … which HUD approved in four months.

TC Jester East Basin

Another example: HUD originally set a deadline of May, 2026 (next month), to complete the TC Jester East Detention Basin, which hasn’t even started construction yet. Most large detention basins take at least a year to complete or – more likely – two years.

HCFCD began planning the TC Jester project in 2021, announced funding availability in 2023, and now plans to START construction in the second quarter of 2026. The District hopes to complete it sometime in Q2 2027. The already extended deadline is February 28, 2027. The delays put $12 million CDBG-DR dollars at risk.

Vague Responses to Specific Questions

But instead of reporting the projected completion date to Commissioners Court yesterday, Dr. Tina Petersen, head of HCFCD, transmitted a vague schedule indicating the current project phase was “construction” and that it would cost $23.5+ million dollars – nine million dollars more than the District’s own press release said it would cost on 12/5/2025.

Over and over again during Commissioners Court meetings, Court members have asked Dr. Petersen if there were any problems … if they could help in any way … if the projects were on track. Each time, Dr. Petersen would give vague, squishy, feel-good answers, such as “we are doing everything we can” and “all projects will be out to bid soon.”

Masking Red Flags with Hopeful Generalizations

The 4/16/26 Commissioners Court meeting was the same. Petersen masked logistical red flags with vague generalizations. Most likely, none of the CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT projects – totaling $850 million – will meet the deadlines associated with their respective grants. Eleven DR projects all face a completion deadline of February 28, 2027 – less than ten months from now. MIT projects have slightly more time.

The truth is that the Flood Control District is relying on and hoping for schedule extensions that may not come.

Most good leaders know that hope is not a strategy.  

HCFCD’s own data highlights Petersen’s lack of performance. 

HCFCD 2026 Q1 spending
Table shows spending through 26Q1. Petersen took over HCFCD in Jan. 2022.

The Flood Control District has more resources available than most public agencies. Last year, she hired consultants to augment HCFCD staff in executing these projects. What excuse do they have for not delivering these projects and protecting us from the next flood???  

Confidence Lost

I am in agreement with Judge Hidalgo. I have little confidence in HCFCD’s leader at this point.

But there’s plenty of blame to go around. Remember that Court members removed the former leadership of HCFCD four years ago for political reasons. That triggered a brain drain. They also imposed an “equity prioritization framework” on HCFCD spending and built new layers of bureaucracy, staffed by political hires as opposed to professional hires.

Their experiment has failed in my opinion and will likely cost all of us dearly. Ironically, most flood-control dollars were already going to low-income watersheds.

In 2021, a year before the county’s first equity prioritization framework, I obtained surprising data via a Freedom of Information Act Request. It showed that four Harris County watersheds – those with the highest low-to-moderate income (LMI) populations – already received more flood-mitigation spending than all other 19 watersheds combined in the previous 20 years.

During our next flood, when people are putting their drywall and furniture on the curb and wondering why this happened, I hope that Commissioner Garcia can own up to his mistake in recommending Dr. Petersen to lead HCFCD. But I don’t have much confidence that will happen. 

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/18/2026

3154 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Hidalgo Publicly Blasts HCFCD Leader: “I Just Lost My Confidence in You”

4/17/2026 – Harris County Commissioners Court erupted into open hostilities yesterday when County Judge Lina Hidalgo publicly blasted Dr. Tina Petersen, head of the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD). This issue had to do with the potential loss of close to a third of a billion dollars in federal Community Development Block Grants for disaster relief (CDBG-DR).

Specifically, Hidalgo received a status report on the endangered projects at 5:00 AM, just hours before the start of the meeting. Hidalgo said the report did not include status information and timelines that she had previously requested showing how the projects would be completed before deadlines.

“I would be embarrassed to show this to any member of the public,” said Hidalgo, “I’m totally baffled by this.” Before yielding the floor, Hidalgo added, “I just lost my confidence in you.”

Hidalgo holding up 2 year old timeline
County Judge Lina Hidalgo holding up transmittal that arrived hours before commissioners court with 2-year-old timeline.

Petersen tried to be apologetic. She said she misunderstood what the Judge requested. Hidalgo retorted, “How do you NOT know this, Director? I spoke with you directly.”

What Commissioners Court Requested

The discussion had to do with two items on the agenda – #300 and #366.

  • #300. Request for discussion and possible action regarding the status of the Harris County Flood Control District’s CDBG-MIT and CDBG-DR programs, including updates on the project-level schedule. These updates must include a timeline with benchmarks for all projects and information on how they will meet the necessary deadlines.
  • #366. Transmittal by the Flood Control District on project status updates for the CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT programs.

 What Commissioners Received

HCFCD submitted two reports, neither of which the public could see. However, I have since obtained them. The first shows a timeline. But it stops in 2024. In fairness, it also shows a table that indicates the current “phase” of each project. But that wasn’t enough for Hidalgo. She said, “I ask for a timeline and what I see here is the timeline between February 2018 and July 2024. That already passed!”

The two-year-old timeline in HCFCD report to Commissioners Court

Here is the other report. It contains a table showing when projects were amended into HCFCD’s contract with the Texas General Land Office, which administers HUD funds in Texas. With one exception, the dates range from 2024 to 2025.

Hidalgo: “There’s not a project-by-project summary here!”  

Petersen: “So, what’s the point?”

“The public is seeing that we might miss the deadline and you’re saying, here’s the deadline. How is that helping, Director?”

Lina Hidalgo, Harris County Judge

Hidalgo continued, “People have been waiting for these projects. We report the projects are behind and you’re not providing anything that provides any sort of assurance to the community, much less to me, that you’re on track.”

“I requested a timeline that showed where we are, what the deadlines are, and what we’re going to do to meet those deadlines,” she added.

“We secured this money back in 2021. I don’t know at what point we got behind, but it’s well past time for there to be a clear timeline. And so, I am really demanding that, Director.”

Ramsey Concerns

Earlier in the discussion, Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, PE, addressed many of the same issues but more diplomatically.

Ramsey focused on specific deficiencies in Petersen’s reports. He expressed desire to see accurate construction estimates and pointed out two errors totaling approximately $15 million.

He also emphasized the need to communicate clear project start times, duration and completion dates. “None of those can be left blank,” he said.

Ramsey lamented the fact that projects were reported by Bond IDs, not individual projects. (A bond ID can contain multiple projects, masking project delays.)

He also lamented that HCFCD has taken up to TWO YEARS to execute new contracts. “You just can’t do that,” he said.

Ramsey also wanted the “percentage of completion” of construction, because that’s “what the GLO needs.” He then proposed a three-part motion, laying out exactly what the Court and GLO want to see.

Ramsey Motion Passes Unanimously

Ramsey’s motion says:

 “I move that the Harris County Flood Control District provides Commissioners Court with monthly project-level schedules and financial reporting for all CDBG-DR and -MIT flood mitigation projects. The monthly report shall include, for each project, the:

  • Estimated design completion date
  • Estimated construction start date (and actual start of construction when applicable)
  • Total expected construction duration in calendar days
  • Estimated construction completion date
  • Total project budget 
  • Amount encumbered
  • Bid award amount
  • Amount spent to date
  • Any project delays. 

“I further move that HCFCD will submit this information in a consistent monthly format that clearly identifies any schedule changes, delays, or financial variances from the prior month, so that Commissioners Court can exercise meaningful oversight and ensure transparency in project delivery.

“I further move that the first monthly report will be due on May 1, 2026, and all other monthly reports will be due on the third Monday of every month thereafter.”

The motion carried unanimously.

Briones Reaction

Precinct 4 Commissioner Briones agreed with Ramsey and his motion. She felt information was crucial to the success of the CDBG program.

Ellis Reaction

Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis said, “Judgment day is coming soon.” He asked Petersen what she would have done differently, but she dodged his question.

He ended by saying, “I’m keeping my fingers crossed; but I’m very concerned.”

Garcia Reaction

In contrast, Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia was full of sunshine. He blamed delays on the previous administration.

For More Information

To see video of the entire discussion, go to this page on the Harris County website. Click on Departments 3 of 3. Then scroll forward to approximately 4:13:40.

Click on the tab in the right hand panel to see a transcript of the discussion.

For a history of the CDBG projects, search ReduceFlooding.com using “CDBG”.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/17/2026

3153 Days since Hurricane Harvey

The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.

Make a Visible Difference in Your Community at Median Madness

4/16/2026 – Join volunteers from around Kingwood for “Median Madness: Round 7” this Saturday, 4/18/2026, starting at 8:30 AM along Kingwood Drive at Trailwoood Village Drive.

Help trim back underbrush. Remove vines. Improve traffic safety. And beautify Kingwood. While you have fun. Exercise. And make friends. All at the same time. The event will last until noon.

About Median Madness

Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger began Median Madness in 2024. Since then hundreds of volunteers have made a visible difference in their community by trimming back vines and underbrush that were spilling out into major traffic arteries.

This weekend, an army of volunteers for Round 7 of Median Madness will tackle another sore point near the entrance to Trailwood Village.

What to Bring

Wear close-toed shoes and bring your work gloves and water. If you have sheers, bring them. If not, no worries. The Houston Tool Bank will have some there that you can use.

Everyone is welcome, but anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Remember the ten two-letter words that make all the difference in the world: “If it is to be, it is up to me.”

You can make your community safer and more beautiful.

Parking

The closest side streets near the Trailwood Village Median are Hidden Creek Dr. (on the Trailwood Village side) and Pine River Dr. (on the South Woodland Hills side). These also have access to the trail entrances to safely access the median.

A Thank You to Sponsors

This event is supported by the Trailwood Village Community Association, the Department of Neighborhoods Matching Grant Program, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, Houston Public Works, HPD, Trees for Kingwood, the Houston Tool Bank, H‑E‑B, and Chick‑fil‑A.

Trees for Kingwood is working with the Texas A&M Forest Service to plan improvements to Kingwood’s medians. They include replacing invasive species with native species to make growth in the medians more sustainable and maintainable. The invasive species have totally crowded out native species in numerous places.

Sign Up NOW

Please join the team. Confirm your attendance by signing up at: Median Madness Round 7.

Once registered, you’ll receive an email with a waiver and helpful tips to prepare for the event. Be sure to complete the waiver and bring a printed copy with you on the day of Median Madness, April 18th. Thank you!

Hope to see you there!

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/16/2026

3152 Days since Hurricane Harvey
 

Northpark Update: Ponds Get Deeper, Bridge Abutment Higher, Ditch Wider

4/15/2026 – In the quest the build the first all-weather evacuation route from Kingwood, there’s still much work to do. But contractors have made significant progress on Northpark in the last few weeks.

The two ponds that bracket Northpark Drive at the US59 entrance are getting deeper. Meanwhile, the bridge abutment east of the railroad tracks is getting higher. And Ditch One behind the businesses on the north side of Northpark is getting wider.

Also of note: concrete for the surface lanes that will flank the bridge is creeping ever closer to the UnionPacific Railroad tracks.

See details and photos below.

Entry Ponds Deepen

Contractors are deepening the two entry ponds at US59. Last week, it appeared that they had reached the designed depth in the north pond. Then came the rains. As you can see in the photo below, it had some significant erosion. And in this photo taken this morning, it appears contractors have returned to remove more silt.

North pond at Northpark and 59 on 4/15/26
Work on the south pond had paused this morning, while the focus returned to the north pond.

It appears that contractors made significant progress on the south pond. But you can clearly see the effects of erosion from the heavy rains.

To prevent similar erosion in the future, the ponds will be lined with concrete. That work should be completed by the end of next month.

Abutment Getting Higher

An abutment is a structure at the end of a bridge that absorbs lateral forces and moves traffic from ground level onto the clear-span portion of the bridge. Contractors are building the first of two abutments east of the railroad tracks in front of Public Storage and Dunkin’ Donuts. See below.

They started erecting walls last month. And now, they’re filling the area between them with layer after layer of stabilized sand and dirt.

Eastern abutment as of 4/15/26. Looking east.
Reverse angle shows how dirt between the walls is being layered in and compacted.
Side shot shows the work is already much taller than vehicles.

Drainage Ditch Widened

A drainage ditch (Ditch One) will take excess stormwater from Northpark and route it through a drainage ditch behind the businesses that line the north side of Northpark.

Ditch One has been widened and deepened back to its original dimensions. It had not been cleaned out for approximately 18 years!
Ditch One from ground level. Hydromulching will begin soon to protect the banks from erosion.

UPRR Crossing

Two surface turn lanes will flank each side of the bridge over the railroad tracks and Loop 494. Below, you can see the status of their completion.

Looking slightly E over the UPRR tracks.

On the north (l), pavement is complete up to the last two or three feet on each side of the tracks. On the south (r) pavement also stops short, but more work still needs to be done on the surface lanes themselves.

Keep in mind that after contractors complete paving, UPRR needs to install gates. And after that, a signal crew must make the temporary signals operational before the crossings become operational.

Loop 494

Loop 494 is virtually complete, but the Northpark intersection is not. This will be the focus of work in the near future.

Wider shot looking N along 494.
From opposite direction, you can see how wide Loop 494 will be where it approaches Northpark.

Other News

In coming days, crews will also:

  • Complete patches of sidewalks skipped due to utility conflicts on the project
  • Backfilling medians in preparation for final sod and seed
  • Install permanent traffic signals at Russell-Palmer Road and Northpark (expected completion by mid-April)

Please pack your patience, especially at the Russell-Palmer Intersection. Kings Mill residents use the intersection to make a U-turn.  The new traffic signals require significant underground work, a new traffic-signal control box, new signal poles, new conduit, new wiring and new programming. 

Caution

Please note: Work will continue in the center median of Northpark in preparation to put traffic in its final configuration. There are and will be many obstructions and potential hazards in this area, including construction workers and vehicles.

DO NOT cross into the work zone. Make turns only from delineated cross over areas. 

For More Information

Consult the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority website Northpark Overpass Project page. This includes a 3-week look-ahead schedule, plans, simulated videos of the completed project, and more.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/15/26

3151 Days since Hurricane Harvey

San Jacinto Received Only 1% of HCFCD Spending in 2026 Q1

4/14/26 – The San Jacinto Watershed received only 1% of all HCFCD spending in Q1, despite being the county’s largest watershed and having the worst flooding.

Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has published updated spending figures for 2018 Flood Bond Projects through the end of the first quarter of 2026. Analysis also revealed:

  • No Kingwood or Huffman Area projects have reached the construction stage yet
  • Spending on Lake Houston Area projects continues to lag other watersheds throughout the county.
  • HCFCD’s years-long spending slowdown may be stabilizing

Separately, Dr. Tina Petersen, PhD, HCFCD’s executive director, recently announced several positive developments for projects on Cypress Creek, the East Fork and Lake Houston Dam.

Let’s look at the funding analysis first. The screen captures below come from the HCFCD Activity Page and speak for themselves.

Overall Spending Slowdown Stabilizing

The chart below shows incremental spending for ALL watersheds since the start of the flood bond in 2018. But the far right shows only one quarter for this year so far. If the first quarter were annualized, it would approximately equal 2025 year-end spending.

Incremental spending after 2026 Q1 for all watersheds.

However, all phases of activity have declined dramatically since the management change at HCFCD in 2021.

Where the Money Went in Q1

The chart below shows the San Jacinto Watershed ranked 14th versus others. Of the $52 million total dollars spent, more than half of the watersheds received less than $1 million each. Only five watersheds received more than $2 million. The Cypress Creek Watershed received $22 million (36% of the total). That $22 million was three times more than the next largest watershed – White Oak at $6.76 million.

Q1 2026 spending for all watersheds totaled only $52 million.

Petersen attributes construction delays to “getting the funding in place.”

San Jacinto Spending Slowed, Too

Looking closer at the San Jacinto watershed, we can see it dropped sharply. But part of the apparent drop has to do with the fact that you are only looking at one quarter so far for the first quarter of 2026.

Incremental spending for the San Jacinto watershed since 2018

In Q1, HCFCD spent only $524,000 in the entire San Jacinto Watershed. Of that, $491,000 came from partners. Only $33,000 came from HCFCD’s bond or budget.

Breakdown of 2026 Q1 spending in San Jacinto Watershed. Dark blue represents partner spending.

But the most significant takeaway should be the volume of spending in the watershed compared to the total for all watersheds during the quarter…

$.052 million is exactly one one-hundredth of $52 million.

Q1 San Jacinto spending vs. total for all watersheds

And that’s for the county’s largest watershed – where the worst flooding occurred during Harvey. See below.

worst first
Chart showing feet above flood stage of 33 gages of misc. bayous in Harris County during Harvey.

Total and Construction Spending

Overall, HCFCD and its partners have spent almost $2.2 billion to date.

Total spending by watershed associated with the 2018 flood bond

But most of that has been on upfront studies, engineering and right-of-way acquisitions. Of the total $2.2 billion spent so far, only $1 billion has been on construction – 36%.

Construction spending through 2026 Q1 from 2018 flood bond.

Among watersheds, the San Jacinto ranks 13th on construction spending (not including County-Wide Spending) since 2018. White Oak ranks #1 with $148 million. To date, the San Jacinto watershed has received $21.5 million – one seventh of the construction dollars received by White Oak.

Status of Kingwood/Huffman Projects

Only three projects are active in the Lake Houston Area.

The Kingwood Diversion Ditch is still in engineering. It is fully funded and includes:

  • Additional channel capacity
  • A new diversion structure at the confluence with Bens Branch
  • Four bridge replacements
  • A new outfall to the San Jacinto West Fork south of Deer Ridge Park.

Petersen says construction could start as early as 2027.

She expects the Taylor Gully and the Woodridge Stormwater Detention Basin Project to start construction in May 2026. It is also fully funded and includes:

  • New stormwater detention basin
  • Bridge replacement at Rustling Elms
  • Channel widening and deepening

The Luce Bayou Watershed will receive a new detention basin near FM2100 and the Huffman-Cleveland Road to support regional drainage improvements. Construction plans for the fully funded project are nearing completion, according to Petersen.

Status of Lake Houston Gates and East Fork Detention

Farther upstream on Cypress Creek, Petersen said she expects to finally start construction on the TC Jester East Basin soon. HCFCD also claims to have finished construction on the Mercer Basin on Cypress Creek near the Hardy Tollroad.

When I met with Petersen and State Representative Charles Cunningham last week, she also addressed:

  • A $20 million Inter-Local Agreement with the City of Houston for new Lake Houston Gates. It is on the 4/16/26 Commissioners Court Agenda. See Item 126.
  • San Jacinto East Fork stormwater detention basins. It’s unlikely any will be built. But “we’ve identified several locations along the East Fork, where if someone wants to sell their property, we will buy it … and we will get FEMA funding to do that.”.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/14/26

3150 Days since Hurricane Harvey

How “Stacking Effect” Erodes Margins of Safety

4/13/26 – Since Hurricane Harvey in 2017, I’ve documented how numerous factors contribute to flooding. Individually, none is unique. You see them in operation everywhere around the world. But collectively, their impacts can “stack” in a way that degrades margins of safety and resilience – in some areas more than others.

San Jacinto West Fork at 59 during Harvey.
US59 Bridge over San Jacinto West Fork during Hurricane Harvey, where numerous flood factors converged.

Progressively Eroding Margins of Safety

Driving a vehicle makes a good analogy. A lonely highway. Rain-slick pavement. The dead of night. Bald tires. Too much speed. A tight curve. And a tired driver loses control.

In respect to flooding, the Lake Houston Area has:

  • Rapid upstream urbanization
  • Extensive floodplain development
  • Industrial-scale sand mining accelerating sedimentation
  • Low-gradient hydraulics
  • Constrained reservoir outflow
  • Fragmented governance

Now, Add 30-40% More Rain than Expected

A killer hurricane. Stalls over the Houston Area. The highest rainfall totals in the history of North America. Drainage channels clogged with sediment. A dam that can’t let water out fast enough. Homes built too close to water. Power gone. Communication out. Evacuation routes under water. And millions of people trying to flee. Simultaneously.

It’s not Hollywood; it’s Harvey.

Safety … Within Reason

We like to think of OUR safety as an “absolute.” Government and science will protect us, right? Wrong!

How much risk are we willing to live with? Said another way, “How much can we afford?” Engineers could design drainage systems that protect us from 100,000-year storms. But could we afford them? Probably not.

So, we look at probabilities and we compromise. We design systems to handle more than we expect. And they work great. Until the unexpected happens. Then we pray that everything doesn’t go wrong all at once. That our backup systems work.

And when they don’t, we’re left with that stale bag of potato chips in the back of the cupboard, rotting wallboard, and the kindness of strangers.

Systems Optimized for Competing Interests

We optimize communities to serve many different interests. Not just ours. And not just flood resilience. For instance, homes must be affordable, not just flood-safe. So, builders lobby for regulations that reduce their costs. And that may mean putting homes on smaller lots closer together, which…

  • Increases the percentage of impervious cover in a development
  • Speeds up runoff
  • Creates faster, higher flood peaks

And of course, to make new streets, you need sand for the concrete. So, fast-growing areas set up systems that let miners extract sand from floodways where it’s plentiful and pure.

But of course, that’s only a problem for people who live downstream. Until someone else does the same thing farther upstream.

Results: A Balancing Act

Here in the Lake Houston Area, we have a system where runoff is increasing, conveyance is decreasing, and control is fragmented—all at the same time. This combination is rare and particularly unstable.

But of course, it’s not all bad. Good people fight every day to keep you safe.

We have:

  • Harris County Flood Control District, widening and maintaining ditches, building stormwater detention basins, and maintaining thousands of miles of channels
  • Houston Mayor John Whitmire, Council Member Fred Flickinger, Houston Public Works Department and Coastal Water Authority, working to add more gates to the Lake Houston Dam
  • State Rep/ Charles Cunningham, who started a Lake Houston Area Dredging and Maintenance District to constantly remove accumulated sediment
  • State Rep. Dennis Paul, working to create a river-basin-wide flood control district
  • Thousands of first responders, honing rescue skills for the day they hope will never come
  • Armies of engineers, working to design drainage systems to keep you safe
  • Public servants like Harris County’s meteorologist Jeff Lindner, monitoring weather and maintaining flood warning systems 24/7/365 to warn you of severe weather
  • The Texas Water Development Board and its regional flood-planning groups
  • Representatives like Dan Crenshaw, who brought home hundreds of millions of dollars from Washington for flood-mitigation projects
  • Groups, like the Bayou Land Conservancy, Nature Conservancy and Coastal Prairie Conservancy working to preserve nature in ways that buffer us from flooding
  • Great people at FEMA, HUD, the GLO, and Texas Department of Emergency Management, ready to help when disaster strikes and all else fails.

It’s all a balancing act.

To prepare for the next flood, we must learn from the last – and act as if our lives depended on it.

Bob Rehak

For More Information

To learn more about how we can protect margins of safety, see the Lessons Page of this website.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/13/2026

3149 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Extreme Growth in Flatland With Constrained Drainage

4/12/26 – Numerous human and geologic factors drive flood risk. Where they exist in combination, flood risk degrades the most.

One of the most important “lessons learned” since Hurricane Harvey has been how A) extreme population growth in B) a flat river basin with C) a constrained outlet … combine to increase flood risk.

Extreme Population Growth in Region

Worldwide, urbanization and impervious cover (concrete, rooftops) represent the single most consistent, anthropogenic (man-made) driver of flooding worldwide. And…

Extreme population growth in the Houston region has fueled the growth of impervious cover.

According to U.S. Census Bureau figures released in January 2026, Texas ranked as the fastest growing state in the U.S. last year. And within Texas, Harris County grew more than any other county, adding an estimated 48,695 people – a 1% gain. Harris County’s population now tops 5 million people.

But the areas around Harris County are all growing rapidly, too – at least in percentage terms. Upstream from the Lake Houston Area:

  • Waller County grew by 5.7%
  • Liberty County grew by 4.4%
  • Montgomery County grew by 4%.

The U.S. grew only about 0.5% overall from 2024–2025. So these counties are outliers as is Texas itself. Since 2020, Texas has added more residents than any other state, with approximately 2.6 million new residents.

When you look closely at the numbers, there’s a clear bifurcation. Giant metro areas, such as Houston, lead in absolute population growth. But small, fast-developing fringe counties lead in percentage growth.

Why This Matters: Impervious cover

Waller, Liberty and Montgomery Counties lie right upstream from Harris County within the upstream San Jacinto River Basin. They rank among the fastest growing counties in the fastest growing state. That confirms rapid upstream urbanization in the watershed, which puts continued pressure on the San Jacinto West and East Forks.

Meanwhile, Harris County leads the nation in absolute growth. That means:

Just as concerning, to accommodate this growing population, we see floodplain encroachment throughout the watershed. For instance, right now, Scarborough and the Texas General Land Office are trying to develop more than 5,000 of the most flood-prone acres in southeast Texas near the confluence of Spring Creek and the San Jacinto West Fork.

Scarborough Area in center from FEMA’s Flood Hazard Layer Viewer based on pre-Atlas 14 data.

Land that once might have been dedicated to parks for flood control has become too valuable for that. Land owners want to catch the development gravy train.

Crossing at the Commons of Lake Houston Floodplains and General Plan
Proposed Signorelli Development “Crossing at the Commons of Lake Houston.” Dotted lines represent floodplains and floodway. Original residents were promised this would be land for recreation. Signorelli fought the City of Houston all the way to the Supreme Court of Texas for ten years for the right to build on this land.

Fragmented Governance Complicates Growth Factor

Fragmented governance also complicates the issue. Take, for instance, the Scarborough land that borders Harris County. If the land gets developed, Harris County would face increased flood risk while Montgomery County would reap benefits from expanding its tax base. So, the two counties have opposing interests.

Another example: Montgomery County gives tax breaks to sand mines along the San Jacinto that help fuel all this upstream growth. But sediment from those same mines washes downriver and gets deposited in the headwaters of Lake Houston. That sediment reduces conveyance and increases flood risk for the people in Harris County.

Infrastructure Bottlenecks and Peak Stacking

Drainage from all this extreme upstream growth feeds into a bottleneck with a constrained outlet – Lake Houston.

Drainage from the 2,500 square mile upper San Jacinto River Basin all flows through Lake Houston.

And extremely low gradients throughout this funnel means water moves slower and lingers longer. That increases the chances of peaks from different tributaries stacking on top of each other.

And finally, other bottlenecks exist, too. Like the FM 1960 Causeway and the Lake Houston Dam with its four small gates. They have a combined release capacity of just 10,000 cubic feet per second – one fifteenth the release capacity of Lake Conroe’s gates.

For More Information

See the Lessons Page of this web site. It condenses the major lessons learned from researching more than 3,000 posts since Harvey into a sort of quick guide.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/12/2026

3148 Days since Hurricane Harvey

The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.